Welcome to the Mile High Club
by onlymystory
Summary: Matt agreed easily to a no-strings attached, Vegas-style rules trip around the world with Rebekah over the summer. But away from the mess that is Mystic Falls, Rebekah's bright and happy and entirely different from the vampire he thought he knew. Matt wanted a free trip. He never meant to fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

When Matt agrees to road trip around the world with Rebekah, he's expecting more traditional backpacking, so he packs accordingly. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and a jacket.

Rebekah unceremoniously dumps everything on his bed, looks disdainfully at most of it, and hands Matt his favorite jacket. "Here. You can wear this until we get to New York. I'll have to get you new clothes for the trip."

"I said backpacking under Vegas rules, Rebekah, not letting you be some sort of sugar mama," returns Matt in a wry voice.

"Dear god never call me that again." Rebekah shakes her head in disgust. "We will backpack and sleep under the stars. I'll even sleep in a hostel a few nights so you get the full experience. Though I have no doubt you'll be begging for a proper hotel after dealing with those mattresses. If you think vampires have a biting problem, wait until bedbugs have a go at you."

Matt makes a face at her. "I didn't agree to this so you could be in charge of everything."

Rebekah sighs. "But you did agree. So will you please let me buy you a few things? I want you to experience the best of the world, not just cheap tourist attractions, and for some of that you need better clothing."

"You can buy me whatever will fit in a backpack." Matt refuses to cave to the pout Rebekah turns on him. So what if it's far cuter than any Caroline ever used, and he certainly fell sway to those often enough.

"But what about plays or the opera? I refuse to allow you to attend the Sydney Opera or the Russian Ballet in a wrinkled suit pulled out of a canvas bag." If Rebekah is also thinking about how good Matt looks in a suit—and she has brothers who basically set the bar for such things—that's her business.

Matt holds out for another moment before giving in. "Fine. For special occasions, you can buy suits in that city. But that's it, Rebekah." He opts for honesty. "I need to feel like we're somewhat equals on this trip."

Rebekah nods her head, understanding what Matt's asking for. He spends too much time being the token human of Mystic Falls and while he's very good at it, she knows he wants to just be Matt again. Rebekah feels more than a little honored that despite everything, Matt trusts that she will be the one to let him do so. "Okay."

They leave within a few days of graduation. Matt has a number of text messages on his phone, all saying things that hit random levels of typical Mystic Falls crazy, but he pushes them into a tiny little compartment in his mind. He can't do anything about it, and if he's being perfectly honest, he's not really in the mood to try. His friends are adults now—have been for some time really—and they can fix their own messes. Besides, it's more than likely that at least two people will die and come back to life before the summer's over. It'll basically be like he's just skipping a couple cycles of America's Next Supernatural Disaster.

As Buffy would say, they can beep him if the apocalypse comes.

He schedules an email to be sent after he's left, that way no one can try to change his mind, to all his friends. It just says that he's going on a road trip with Rebekah. That it's his choice, no one else's and he's not being forced into this. He notes that he's not taking his phone and he doesn't really care about their opinions on it.

Matt kind of suspects that while she'd protest the loudest, Caroline would secretly support him the most.

New York is a bit of a whirlwind. Rebekah's intent is to stop over just long enough to do some shopping before they fly into Dublin, but he convinces her to give it a few extra days so he can see the Statue of Liberty and eat pizza in Little Italy and be a typical tourist.

Rebekah mocks him a little and bemoans that she'll never live down being such an obvious tourist—a word she says with dripping disdain—but she smiles a little more genuinely and outright giggles when he reenacts the Lady & the Tramp spaghetti scene, so Matt figures it's worth it.

There's a tiny part of him that says he should be more cautious. They both agreed to a no-strings summer, but Matt's not cruel enough to want to completely break Rebekah's heart and he knows this means more to her. But there's another part of him that likes seeing the way her eyes crinkle when she smiles and how much kinder she is when she doesn't have family to live up to. So he kisses her as they look out over the Harbor and lets her lean into him while walking back to the hotel from a Broadway show and tells the nagging voice in his head to shut up.

It seems like they only just arrived when they're packing up to hop on the plane to Dublin.

Matt has to admit that the clothes Rebekah picked out are incredibly comfortable. He feels less like the kid from small town Virginia too.

Rebekah tugs him into an airport gift shop while they wait for the plane to board. "C'mon, let's get souvenirs."

Matt looks at the tacky display of I heart NYC t-shirts next to them and then back at Rebekah. "This falls under your approved clothing category?" He finds that shocking.

"Not in the least. The best souvenirs are the memories and the food and the things you can't take back with you. But it's still fun to get kitschy gifts. And I've never really had anyone to send things back too." She holds up a Statue of Liberty pen. "See, Elijah would hate this, just as much as he hates his Eiffel Tower pen, but I'll give it to him anyway."

Matt rifles through the shirts. "Do you think they have one that says 'I left your heart in New York'? I'd send that to Damon."

"You're sending gifts to Damon?" Rebekah tilts her head at him.

"I'm mocking Damon. There's a difference."

Rebekah laughs, all high and bright like she's been doing for days, and Matt feels like he can't help but push her against the wall and kiss her until neither of them can breathe in anything but each other.

They get kicked out of the gift shop. But there are dozens more and Rebekah links her hands with Matt's as they leave and beams at him and he considers that worth the expulsion.

Forty-five minutes later, they're boarding the flight. Rebekah bought first class tickets—naturally—and first class on British Airways is amazing. Matt pulls the curtains closed as soon as permitted to do so, kisses Rebekah, then settles in. "Okay maybe I can let you pay for a few more things."

"I thought you might say that." She pokes her head out to order drinks from the attendant now that they're fully in the air and hands Matt his once they arrive. She's quiet for a second. "I'm glad you agreed to come with me," she says finally.

Matt looks at Rebekah, then at the window, then back at Rebekah again.

"What?"

"You aren't still on that don't compel people to prove you have humanity thing, are you?" he asks.

Rebekah shakes her head with a teasing smile. "Hardly. I wanted to prove a point then. But let's face it, getting my way is so much more fun. Why?"

Matt lifts her hand up to his mouth, kisses the tips of her fingers, before sucking one into his mouth for a long moment, eyes never leaving Rebekah's. "It's a seventeen hour flight."

He grins at her—almost a leer—and then reclines his seat as far back as it will go. "The flight attendant did say to enjoy the ride."


	2. Chapter 2

Considering she's just compelled the flight attendants and the other first class passengers that they won't be hearing anything from their seats for the rest of the flight, and that she's joining the fun-as-a-joke-but-tacky-in-reality mile high club, Rebekah finds Matt surprisingly sweet in the moment.

They got past the sex thing the first day in New York. It was awkward to say the least—or well, the leading up to it was—but tequila courage was all Matt seemed to need.

Sure he'd agreed to go with her and he'd been the one to instill Vegas rules, but that first night was just weird. She obviously cared more about him than he did about her, but it's still Matt. He's one of the few nice guys left in the world. And not nice guy in that will be a total sweetheart until he realizes he's not getting laid at which point he turns into a total douche kind of nice guy. Matt's genuine.

It's those thoughts that make Rebekah zone out for just a little bit. When Matt rocks up against her a little harder, she shakes her head and refocuses.

"I lost you for a minute there," says Matt, rolling his hips and causing Rebekah to bite her lip. God, he felt good. "Where'd you go?"

Rebekah leans further over him, rocking back down at the same time to keep Matt fully inside her and presses a kiss to his lips. "Not important."

"Yeah? Cuz I'd hate to think I was that boring." Matt nips at her mouth and thrusts upward, moving faster now. Rebekah's trying to be somewhat respectful of their neighbors. The first class passengers of course won't remember anything, but she doesn't want to be so loud the coach passengers start asking questions.

"Never boring," she gets out. Her hands lay flat against Matt's chest, giving her stability and leverage and she matches him in his movements, creating a steady rhythm. Rebekah has to hold herself back when she comes, and a cry of "Matt" becomes a muffled "mmph".

She knows better. No matter how much she likes Matt and wants a normal relationship, that's not what he promised her. At best, if they end this as friends, it'll still be one of the most successful relationships of any kind that she's ever managed.

Matt looks a little lost underneath her, like there's too much going on in his head, though he's gentle as he slips out and uses a hand towel to clean them both up.

Rebekah chooses to save them both any sort of awkward conversation, tugging her skirt down and excusing herself to go to the restroom. She can hear Matt breathing heavily in their seats, but she ignores that to straighten up in the small space. Rebekah stares at herself in the mirror, blinking away the tears that threaten to spill over. "You knew what this was going in," she hisses at her reflection. "Don't go getting emotional just because he's not whispering stupid human sentiments in your ear."

Rebekah dabs concealer under her eyes, swipes on fresh mascara and lipstick. "You are a Mikaelson. You are an Original vampire. You are not weak." Satisfied that she looks just fine, if a bit flushed from their earlier activity, she exits the restroom and rejoins Matt.

It positively reeks of sex, but that can't exactly be helped. She does however order food from the flight attendant on her way back to their seats, hoping the smell will improve slightly.

Matt has postcards on the tray tables when she returns.

"What are these?"

"Postcards," he answers in a snarky tone. "See, people write messages on them and put them in the mail. The mail is…"

Rebekah lightly punches his arm. "I know what postcards are you loon. I meant why do you have them?"

Matt shrugs. "I figured it'd be fun to send them to people."

"Like who?"

He holds up one of Tiffany's & Co. "Well, this one for example is going to Caroline."

"Really?" Rebekah can't help the annoyance in her tone. She knows her brother is in love with the girl and that she's one of Matt's best friends, but still.

Matt ignores her tone and sticks to answering the question. "Yep. And I'm going to tell her that whenever one of these little cards makes her jealous, she should put it in a box and someday use that to plan her own trip around the world."

Rebekah hates that she's pushing buttons but she does it anyway. "What if that trip is with Klaus? Would you still be so encouraging?"

It's a testament to Matt's character that he doesn't rise to the bait. Instead he sets the pen and postcard down and turns to give her a serious answer. "I'm not going to pretend that I like your brother or his interest in Caroline. He's tried to kill too many of us, including her, to get what he wants or to make a point. But if I've learned anything over the last year, it's that the typical rules of who your friends should date don't really apply to us. Caroline hates Damon, and with good reason, but Elena still loves him. Stefan can be pure evil half the time and you loved him. Jeremy cheated on Bonnie and she sacrificed her life for him."

Rebekah quirks a puzzled eyebrow at that.

Matt waves it away. "Long story, tell you later."

When she nods her acquiescence, he continues. "I can hate Klaus all I want, but Caroline's drawn to him. We've talked about it a little." He pauses.

"Tell me?" asks Rebekah. "Not for the gossip. It's just…I'd like to know that Caroline has good reasons to be interested in my brother. Klaus can be a horrible person yes, but he's still family."

"I know what you mean," says Matt ruefully. "Here's the thing. At graduation, Caroline was thrilled that in her words 'we all made it to graduation'. And in a way we did, the five of us who started high school sophomore year graduated at the end. But it wasn't five humans celebrating a rite of passage. It was one human, three vampires, and a ghost celebrating a semblance of survival."

"And Caroline sees a fellow survivor in Klaus?" Rebekah can't help her confusion.

Matt shakes his head. "Caroline does her very best to live in world of sunshine. She focuses on being positive and whatever is going well in someone's life. And a lot of people mistake that as being who she is. But where Bonnie is single minded in her goals, and where Elena tends to push a lot of things down far enough that she doesn't have to think about them—with or without the shutting off emotions trick—or where Tyler puts his priorities first, Caroline notices everything. She's the one who is most likely to always remember that all of us have been abandoned by at least one parent, if they aren't all dead already." Matt looks sad as he speaks and Rebekah stays silent. "Caroline understands darkness better than anyone I know, but she's also one of the best people I've ever seen at finding the light in the dark. What she sees with Klaus is a chance to show him that, but to also have someone who doesn't judge her for the shadows in her soul."

Rebekah's quiet for several moments after Matt finishes, thinking over what he's said. She realizes that perhaps what draws Klaus to Caroline is the same thing that draws Elijah to Katherine and herself to Matt. All three are survivors, but more importantly they survive in a way that still gives them joy. There's survival and there's living.

Matt's been through a great deal in his life, and he still has a smile on his face and a shoulder for a friend to cry on. It's those sort of qualities that drew Rebekah to him and keep drawing her in.

She thinks maybe, if whatever this is doesn't end with the trip, she'll give Caroline another chance. For now though, she shakes the thoughts free, not wanting to stay melancholy, and makes her voice bright again. "And just who am I supposed to send postcards to?"

Matt holds up one of the naked cowboy in Times Square. "I thought this one for Elijah."

"Oh that's perfect," laughs Rebekah. Elijah will absolutely hate it and yet be unable to shove it away. His value of family is too high. "What else?"

Matt hands her a picture of the Statue of Liberty against an American flag. "So Jeremy's alive now—part of that long story—and can still summon ghosts to him."

"So?"

"Aren't you just dying to tell Kol that you're dating Mystic Falls' All American quarterback?" Matt's grin is wide and his laughter infectious.

Rebekah's soon losing it in peals of laughter herself. It's good for her, and she easily pushes her earlier worries out of her mind.

They spend most of the flight coming up with the perfect few sentences for each card. And when the plane lands, her head is resting on Matt's shoulder, fingers tangled together.

* * *

**Rebekah's POV this time around. A bit more angsty, but this can't be too easy for our travelers. I mostly just wanted to insure that both their perspectives going in were well established. Next stop Dublin and a great deal more fun.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ahem. I suppose it's worth noting a couple things. I know Rebekah said she'd take Matt to Italy first but I chose to start them in Ireland. The other is that I myself am much like Matt in that I've seen very little of the world. (More than Matt, but nowhere outside of the USA, Canada, or Mexico). Anyway, the places they go are a mix of places that I want to go and random spots I've researched. I also tried to make sure time was accurate, so there are no magical midnight ferryboats across the Irish Sea. If I've made a small mistake, I ask you to forgive it. If it's a pretty big one, or if I've portrayed somewhere/someone offensively, please let me know so I can correct it and know that is was done unintentionally.**

**This chapter is back to Matt's POV.**

* * *

The few times Matt's ever pictured seeing the world did not look like this. Granted, he doesn't spend a lot of time imagining getting to journey around the globe. He's Matt Donovan, small town guy from Mystic Falls, with a dead father and a deadbeat mother and a first undead then dead then undead again then dead dead sister. It's a lot of dead is what he's saying. If he was lucky he'd be going to college on a football scholarship and at best continuing life in a different small town.

He's not naïve enough to lie to himself. Before all the vampire mess, he never intended to come back to Mystic Falls. He has friends there sure, but it's not home. Nothing's ever really felt like home.

He doesn't want to go back now either.

But getting to be here, in Ireland, on the first step of a trip around the world? This was only ever a casual daydream for him.

Regardless of the company—though Rebekah continues to prove that she's a good deal more fun, and calm, when she's out of the danger Will Robinson war zone that is Mystic Falls—Matt feels happy for the first time in a very long time.

They're sitting near the Cliffs of Moher, a tourist site to be sure, but when he balked briefly at touristy stuff back in Dublin in front of the Guinness storehouse, Rebekah explained that just because there's more than just guidebook stuff to see, doesn't mean he should skip those parts either. And so he agreed to let her lead. He's named a few places he wants to go or foods he'd like to try but Rebekah's tour guiding hasn't disappointed him yet.

Dublin he'll remember as laughter and drinking and that feeling of camaraderie he used to share with his friends, before vampires and werewolves fucked everything up.

Matt takes a long chug off the whiskey bottle they brought along and hands it to Rebekah.

"It doesn't do anything for me," she says, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Drinking alone makes me feel sad," he returns.

Rebekah gamely takes drink, then caps the bottle and stands up. "Come on, then."

Matt leans back and looks up at her lazily, blinking against the sun. There are clouds out but the light still manages to be glaring away from city distractions. "Where are we going?"

"If we must do this drinking and being introspective about our lives thing, we're going to do it properly. Up!"

"Fine, fine," he grumbles, but he takes her hand and lets Rebekah pull him off the ground. He lets go once he's standing, though Rebekah's hands trail away as though they are protesting the loss. Matt chooses not to over think it.

Once in Galway, Rebekah drives over towards the ferry station. Matt waits impatiently in the car for her to check times.

"Damn it," mutters Rebekah when she gets back in.

"What?"

"The ferry to Inis Meain leaves in twenty minutes and the ferryman says there have been a lot of travelers today."

"So?"

"So we'd want to get there and find a place to stay for the night and that's unlikely to happen now." Rebekah makes a face at him. "I'm trying to be good, remember. I assume compelling a B&B owner to kick guests out last minute wouldn't get your approval."

Matt makes a face back because he can. "While I pretend to know what Inis Meain is, what do we do now?"

Rebekah sighs. "Inis Meain is one of the Aran Islands. It's not the one with Dun Aonghasa—that's Inis Mor and we'll go there too—but its quieter. Fewer tourists. I suppose we can explore Galway a bit. The next ferry isn't until tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good to me." Matt manages to convince Rebekah to find a place to stay first and then they go eat at a place called Aniar. It's fancier than Matt's used to, requiring the use of one of the outfits Rebekah bought, but the waiter promises all local fare and Matt can't help but find the food delicious.

He even branches out, trying goats curd and lamb and other dishes that he would never normally consider.

They spend most of the night seeing how many hen or stag parties they can crash, keeping tallies of who's bought more drinks. Rebekah agrees to only compel bartenders, but she quickly pulls ahead anyway. Matt's charm is mostly wrapped up in his small town American accent, and while he works it well, it can't compare to the allure and mystery of Rebekah.

It's in one pub, a place he'll never remember the name of, and is too drunk to tell if the beer is better than anywhere else, that Matt gets fed up.

"Give us a kiss, darling," begs one of the single men in this particular stag party, puckering his lips at Rebekah. She laughs at him but gives him the kiss regardless. In a daring move, the guy holds on to her waist and presses for a deeper kiss.

Matt yanks on Rebekah's wrist, tugging her away, and glares at the men. "Go act like a pig with someone else's girl."

It's only a split second later that he realizes what he said, about the time the guy waves them both off without a care. Matt's barreling out the door before he can even think. Is he jealous? He can't be jealous. This whole thing between himself and Rebekah is casual, silly, and that implied…well he doesn't want to think about what his actions just implied.

But then he thinks—as he paces the alley behind the pub—about if Rebekah had wanted to kiss the guy, and he's even more angry. Which in turn makes him frustrated.

Rebekah appears as he's in the middle of an internal rant. "Matt…" Her voice is hesitant, like she knows he probably didn't mean any of it. "Are you okay?"

Matt looks at her, really looks. Rebekah's cheeks are flushed and her eyes are sparking and her breasts heave in the green dress she picked to wear tonight and Matt wants. Oh god how much he _wants_. He's kissing her before he can even think about it, pressing both of them up against the wet brick of the building, his hands digging into her hips. His teeth nip at Rebekah's lip, tugging the bottom one into his mouth, and then his tongue is licking at the seam, pleading for entrance.

Rebekah makes the most exquisite sound, somewhere between a moan and a whimper as she grants his wish. He may have human senses but he can still taste her. The way the burn of whiskey lingers and the slightest hint of copper and a drawn out taste of citrus clings to his tongue.

Her legs are around his waist and he's sliding his hands along Rebekah's legs in what seems like only seconds.

A vague thought registers that he shouldn't be doing this. It's not so much the sex in an alley thing—because that is definitely happening—but that his actions say this trip, this friendship is something more. But it's gone almost as soon as it arrives and then all Matt can think about is the feel of Rebekah wrapped around him.

She's hot and tight and lets him brace her against the wall as he thrusts, every bit as pliant as he is desperate.

He comes as she does, and then they're kissing again and adjusting their clothes. A taxi takes them back to the B&B, and Matt's still drunk and defiant enough to refuse to think about consequences, so he gets Rebekah's dress all the way off and uses his tongue and fingers to bring her off again, until they both fall asleep somewhere in the wee hours of the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Rebekah wakes up as the sun peeks in through the curtains. She's not sore, exactly, the vampire healing thing is a major perk when it comes to recovering from a night of rough sex, but she hasn't moved in that many different ways in a while, so she still stretches luxuriously for a moment. There's a sense of contentment that causes her to smile before turning to see if Matt's awake too.

This is good. He was jealous and then they had sex again after the bar which had to mean there was more to it. She thinks maybe she's finally getting somewhere with Matt. That the separation from home and the drama of Mystic Falls meant he could see the real her, not the Original she had to be there.

And maybe eleven days is a little fast…okay, it's way too fast for her to let her emotions get more involved than they already are. But this feels right.

Or at least it does until Rebekah rolls over and sees Matt lying on his side, facing away from her.

It wouldn't be so odd if Matt slept like that all the time. People move in their sleep. She knows this. But it's been eleven days of the two of them in the same bed, getting to know each other's habits, and having lived a life on the run for so long Rebekah's used to paying attention to minor details. One of those details being that Matt doesn't move in his sleep. He tends to pass out first, using curled around her. Rebekah's been careful not to assume that it's about her specifically, more that Matt's probably a tactile person. But she also tends to wake first and he's always in the same position.

Last night they fell asleep tangled together in each other's arms. Which means Matt had to have woken up in the night, detached himself from her, and purposefully turned away.

It hurts. The thought of such complete rejection causes more of an ache in Rebekah's heart than she's all that comfortable admitting. Even to herself. She allows herself a moment to consider disappearing, running away and starting again. But she's so tired of running. A part of her believes this doesn't have to be the end. Maybe they can work through both of their issues and still manage to be friends.

Deciding that detail, she gets up and showers, then goes downstairs to find something to eat. She'll find a more sustainable meal later, when she can compel a stranger.

Rebekah hears Matt wake up sometime later. He seems hesitant in his movements, an oddity for the Matt she knows. She guesses he's expecting an awkward encounter once he comes down. Rebekah quickly decides not to comment at all. She'll let Matt take the lead on what he does and doesn't want to say. It seems like the least she can do.

"Morning," says Matt, sleepily entering and making himself a cup of tea.

"Good morning," smiles Rebekah. She gestures at the table. "They only offer a cold breakfast today but there's some pretty good choices. Better than an egg mcmuffin."

Matt grins and a tiny bit of tension fades away. "True." He sits opposite her and loads up a plate. "So when does the ferry leave for the islands?"

"10:30," she answers. "So we should probably leave in about 30 minutes to make it there on time."

Matt nods his assent and digs into the food. Rebekah tries to start a conversation a few times but she can't really think of anything to say.

The ferry ride is quiet too, both of them lost in their own thoughts. It's when Rebekah leads Matt to the edges of the cliffs, looking out over the waves, that she finally speaks up again.

"I like it here better than the Cliffs of Moher. Not that they aren't gorgeous, but here it feels different. More…free."

"It's wilder," says Matt softly. "The Cliffs of Moher were great, don't get me wrong, but this…it's like the end of the world."

Rebekah lets loose a little choked noise, one that makes Matt give her an odd look. She shakes it away. "Yeah," she agrees. She can't tell him that's what she said the first time she was here. That was centuries ago and when she wasn't fighting with her brothers all the time. Klaus had been bored with the view and Elijah always saw wild things as something to tame, rather than envied. He'd told her once that the right person for her would be the one who flourished in the midst of wild chaos.

Seeing Matt's still watching her, she makes an effort to restart the conversation. "I told you I'd show you the world. Figured the end of it was as good a place to start as any."

"True," responds Matt, and he turns back to look out at the ocean. He's quieter than normal, obviously thinking.

It leaves Rebekah time to think and to wonder and to let her mind go a few steps too far down the road of 'what if'. A silent bond of trust seems woven around the two of them and Rebekah is loathe to break it. But eventually she speaks again, after some time has passed. "What are you thinking about?"

"A song," answers Matt, still looking over the waves.

"Which one?" she asks, curious. She's thought about music here too. Sometimes.

"Demons. That Imagine Dragons one." He answers quickly. Too quickly. Rebekah can hear the lie in Matt's words. She doesn't know why he won't trust her with something so simple, but it ends whatever peace had started to form again.

Rebekah just nods her head like she believes him. When she's tired of her own thoughts an hour later, she insists that they head back to town, not wanting to miss the afternoon ferry back to Galway.

* * *

Matt lies when he tells Rebekah the song he's thinking about is "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. In a way, the lyrics fit his mood, but it's not the one he struggles with.

He's not sure if she knows he's lying. They don't know each other well enough to know that like his old friends would, but Elijah could hear heartbeats. If Rebekah can sense the lie, she doesn't comment on it, leaving Matt to his thoughts.

He hasn't known what to do since early this morning. He woke up curled around Rebekah, legs tangled together and arm wrapped over her torso like they'd spent hundreds of nights the exact same way. It terrified him. He'd turned away in the night, thinking she wouldn't notice or would assume he'd moved in his sleep. But clearly it had bothered Rebekah…or something did.

This trip was supposed to be easy. Free tour of the world, great sex if Damon's snarky remarks (or the odd look Stefan gave Rebekah when he thought no one was watching) were to be trusted, and no real responsibility. Instead his emotions kept confusing him and that made him closed off.

So he lies to cover his true thoughts. Lying to himself—and to Rebekah—is easier than dealing with harsh honesty.

They leave Ireland the next day, skipping over some of the previous planned sights, and heading for Scotland. Rebekah's quiet and subdued during the day and she turns down Matt's feeble suggestions at exploring the night life of Edinburgh.

England itself is mostly bypassed. They stop in London for a couple days, but whenever Matt mentions curiosity about the English countryside or anything along those lines, Rebekah either clams up or insists that there's nothing of value there. He tries not to think too hard about the way he knows she's hiding something from him. She spent a decent amount of time in England, and no doubt had a semblance of a home, this he knows just from conversations Elena's had with Elijah and then shared with him. But Matt knows better than to press.

So he keeps his mouth shut as they ride the double decker bus tour through the main sites of London and go up the London Eye and do all sorts of stereotypical touristy things that aren't bad, but aren't what he expected either.

The first night after their talk on the islands had the pair sleeping on opposite ends of the bed.

After that, Rebekah seems to decide that's not a workable solution, and she makes it clear that if he's interested in sex at any point, it's still on the table.

Matt's eighteen and male and since jerking himself off next to Rebekah—or in the shower with her advanced hearing—seems too awkward, they spend most nights fucking each other into the quiet hours. But it never means anything. He didn't realize that it did before, thinking they had a not really even friends with benefits situation going on. But now that it's changed Matt knows the difference. He always wakes up alone, Rebekah usually eating breakfast or getting dressed or really anything that isn't implying this is a relationship.

Matt doesn't know why Rebekah doesn't just stick him on a plane and send him home…unless it's a matter of wounded pride.

He thinks sometimes that he should leave. For all that the sex is great—and it is—he hasn't felt quite so lonely in years. But the minute he gathers up enough courage to suggest that this trip be over is when a stabbing pang usually hits.

Matt tries his hardest not to think about his own feelings. But he knows there's a problem. He's spending his days seeing the world with a pretty girl and his nights are filled with whiskey and mechanical fucks and in the midst of it all, he has one glaring thought that won't leave him alone.

He lost Rebekah that morning in Galway. And he _misses_ her.

* * *

**Next up, France! Can the City of Love bring back some happiness to our angsty little couple?**

**The song Matt was actually thinking about was "Always" by Saliva.**

**Y'all should totally come talk to me on tumblr. (onlymystories). I confess to an abundance of Teen Wolf posts right now since the new season starts in 3 days but I can swoon over Matt & Rebekah for days too. Plus I take prompts for quick drabbles. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all! I've been out of town and then moving to housesit for the summer, hence the lack of updates. But I've got all the time in the world now so these updates will be much more regular again. And of course if you're ever curious about updates, you can always talk to me on tumblr. I'm onlymystories.**

* * *

Rebekah's ready to scream within the first week of being in Paris. It's one of her favorite cities in the entire world. Klaus and Elijah have always loved Paris as well, so it holds fond family memories, a rarity among the Mikaelsons. But it's also been a place for her to indulge romantic fantasies. She'd charm some unsuspecting stranger and whirl through the romantic highlights of the city with him.

Kol used to tell her it was pathetic—a reason he didn't get invited on Paris trips—and she supposed it kind of was. But she's always been the type to make her own adventures if she has to and the City of Love alone is a very sad place to be.

So the idea that Matt, a guy who at least likes her a little bit, was going along to Paris with her meant she could visit all her favorite haunts with someone who would still be there at the end.

Of course, that was before this cold war business started between them.

The semi-truce they seem to work out in Ireland dissolves by the time they leave England.

The Mikaelsons have been _the_ priority guest since the Four Seasons hotel was built in the '20s, and despite the initial confusion over Rebekah requesting the Empire Suite instead of her usual Penthouse choice, the current guests are ushered out, the room is cleaned, and she promptly dismisses Matt to the second bedroom. Then she sinks into the pillows in her own room and screams into them.

Rebekah doesn't even know what to do anymore. They bickered throughout crossing the Channel, then sat in silence, only speaking when they walked into the hotel room.

Something has to break between them. She just doesn't know what it is anymore and she's scared of the fallout. Finally, Rebekah takes a deep breath, fixes her makeup at the vanity, and crosses to knock at Matt's door.

"Yeah?" Matt leans against the door frame, seemingly as dismissive as the day he agreed to go.

"I thought we could go see the Eiffel Tower," offers Rebekah. "It's not far."

Matt shrugs. "Sure."

Rebekah bites her tongue and refuses to comment on his lack of enthusiasm. Though he could try.

As they walk, she points out some of her favorite places to eat, or particular bits of scenery that Klaus liked to paint, or how the city has changed over the centuries.

Matt responds with noncommittal grunts and Rebekah grits her teeth.

When they reach the third level with the rest of the tourists, Rebekah tugs them over to a slightly quieter spot and tries again to share her stories. "Elijah and Klaus love Paris as much as I do, but for very different reasons. They used to spend hours arguing about the history. Nik was always passionately on the side of rebellions, which probably isn't surprising. Elijah prefers order, but he's always been a fan of the way Paris manages to be infamous and yet inimitable."

"Uh huh," is Matt's comment on that and something in Rebekah snaps.

"Could you at least pretend to show a little interest?"

Matt spins away from the view and towards her. "Interest in what? History class? I got enough of that in Mystic Falls."

"Oh sure because with Alaric dead every other week, I'm sure you learned so much."

Matt glares. "I don't have to show interest in what I don't like."

"Then why are you here with me?" questions Rebekah and immediately wishes she could take it back. That's not an answer she really wants to know.

"I…" Matt heaves a frustrated sigh. "Don't ask me that."

"Why not?"

"Because you won't like the answer."

"You don't know that. Be honest, Matt. Tell me how you really feel. Or are you just going to keep being the sad, abandoned quarterback who does what everyone else tells him to do?" A part of Rebekah hates herself for the words. Another part says they've been building for a while and even if she knows that not all of her anger is for Matt, enough of it is.

Matt attacks like any other cornered animal. "It was a free trip. Chance to see the world, sex without commitment, why the hell wouldn't I go?! You don't think it was you, do you? Because let's be honest, Rebekah, I despise you and everything your family stands for. You're just a free meal ticket."

Rebekah's voice is vicious and cold. "This was a complete mistake. I was clearly insane when I thought you could ever appreciate all the world had to offer." She remembers words that Klaus used to describe Caroline once and throws them in Matt's face. "Small town boy with small town dreams. You'll live and die still in love with the girl who barely even notices you anymore." She's spitting the words with marked cruelty, determined not to let him see her cry.

"You're right," answers Matt, bitter and resigned. "This was a terrible idea. I shouldn't have stayed this long. Clearly I need to go home. You can go to hell."

There's a voice inside her heart that's screaming apologies, begging him to stay, promising she'll be honest and remember why they were here in the first place and that she won't push things anymore.

Rebekah shoves the voice down, buries it under the same one that wonders why her mother never loved her, why her father only wanted to see her long enough to bury a stake in her heart, why her brothers see her as useless. She's let that voice out before. It never changes anything. And she's so very tired of trying to put her heart back together.

So she shoves cash in Matt's hands, reminds him that he has an open-date return ticket to get home and that he should just leave. He doesn't want to be here and she doesn't want him…he was a distraction…a toy. The lies burn in her throat and tears sting in her eyes. Rebekah can barely see Matt in front of her as she pushes him away.

Then he's gone.

The crowds around her still stare, but after a while the whispers change from "crazy American tourists" to wonderings if she came here to mend a broken heart or to say goodbye.

Rebekah makes it back to the hotel before she breaks down completely, burying her face in her hands and sobbing.

It wasn't supposed to feel like this.

This trip was supposed to be fun. Sexy. A break from the stress and fear that has run her entire life thus far.

Matt's just a silly human boy, a crush that should be as fleeting as his human lifespan. This was her summer fling, not a forever love.

It wasn't supposed to hurt like this.

* * *

**So…turns out Paris kinda sucked. I know it's been horribly angsty for a while, so let me slightly cheer you up. The next chapter is Matt's POV, and he's going to be getting a visitor who's ready to throw down some harsh truth. And then the chapter after that…oh it will be soooo good y'all. SO GOOD. Like, it's the chapter I've been planning since I started this story and while it falls about in the middle lengthwise, it kicks off a whole new start to this relationship and I'm pretty damn proud of it. So hang in there through the tears, the good times are around the corner.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well. I got a few rude comments and some nasty private messages after that last chapter. The gist of most was that Matt's inconsistent and would never act this way and this is terrible writing.**

**I'm going to attempt to be gracious and explain a few things. Because honestly, those msgs weren't given in a manner that said you wanted an explanation and hoped answers would come in future chapters but in an attacking manner. And that doesn't make me want to keep going with the story. **

**However, let me just clear up a couple things. First, I know that a lot of the fics with Originals seem to lean towards happier times (at least what I've read) and most of you reading this probably aren't familiar with my style. I don't do fights and angst for no reason. So while a chapter may end on an "OMG WHY?!" note, the story will work itself out. Second, if you've paid any attention at all to the actual show, Matt goes back and forth between being nice to Rebekah one minute and an asshole the next, ALL THE TIME. And yeah he might be justified in not liking her sometimes, but it doesn't change the fact that he's wishy-washy in canon. Plus, while traveling the world is fun, it's also insanely stressful. Lashing out is a pretty natural reaction.**

**Look, I get that not everyone is going to agree with writing decisions. But other readers can testify that I'm pretty good about engaging and explaining a writing choice if you ask me about it. There's no need to be an asshole. **

**In happier news, this is the turning point of the fic. It's pretty much all uphill from here.**

* * *

Matt couldn't tell anyone how he got from the Eiffel Tower to the hotel. But he goes to the room, throws his things in a bag and tries to breathe again. He doesn't even know how things got so bad between Rebekah and himself. Sure, they've been passive-aggressively fighting for a while, and he knows that he hasn't exactly helped the situation, but he just didn't expect to end up here. And he definitely didn't think they'd part ways so harshly.

When Matt can focus again, he realizes that Rebekah will probably be back soon and he shouldn't be here, so he slips out the door and back down the elevator.

His plane ticket is out of London, which means he has to figure out a place to stay for the night, then work out the earliest date he can fly out and get back to London as well. Money isn't an issue—he won't be in any luxury suites but he also won't be starving—and there's a slight pang in his chest at the reminder that as hurtful as he was, Rebekah still looked out for him.

That line of thought isn't one he's really in the mood to deal with, so Matt worries about lodging for now.

He ends up at a hostel, paying for a private room, but realizing the noise is kind of nice. At least he can try to drown out the thoughts he doesn't want to deal with.

But of course life's too much of a bitch to let that happen. Instead he lies awake for most of the night, going over and over how he went wrong. Because the truth of the matter is that this is his fault. Oh sure, he could find ways to blame Rebekah. He certainly found enough to hurt her earlier. But the thing about Rebekah is that she's never pretended to be a good person.

She's insisted that she wants to be. Or to be more accurate, he knows that she wants to be human and carefree. To not have death weighing over her on a daily basis. Rebekah's been pretty clear about what she's willing to do as well. He can't exactly ignore the death that follows her. For pete's sake, she nearly killed him as collateral damage when she went after Elena.

The obnoxious voice in his head keeps pointing out that for every bit as transparent as Rebekah is, he himself has been a lying asshole.

The thing is, he knows there's more to his feelings for Rebekah. If it was just about sex and traveling the world, he would have said yes immediately. But he told Rebekah no at first because he wanted to go. He can't have feelings for Rebekah though. She's tried to kill his friends. She technically did kill Elena. Matt shoves his pillow over his head and tells the voice in his head to shut up after this argument runs through his mind for the fifth time in a row.

It doesn't matter anymore. He's leaving and so is Rebekah and now they'll both be done.

The next day finds Matt doing an impressive job at living in denial as he heads back to London. He gets scheduled on a flight out four days later—it's a bank holiday weekend and more people are traveling, so he's stuck waiting—and he spends most of it in his hotel room.

He does attempt the first day to go out and sightsee a little more, but after the fourth place reminds him of Rebekah, he gives up the endeavor and focuses on the view out his hotel window. There's not much to see.

The night before he's scheduled to leave, Matt ventures out for dinner, opting for a place the staff recommends that's a little further away. He's walking back when he senses someone following him, and walks a little faster. Whoever it is keeps pace with him easily. Matt's growing more and more nervous. The problem with living in Mystic Falls is knowing that it's not just muggers or serial killers who go bump in the night. He has to deal with vampires and werewolves and who knows what else.

Like a cliché in every horror movie, Matt trips when he looks back over his shoulder, giving his stalker the chance to catch up.

"Hello blue eyes," says a voice in the shadows. "Aren't you just a walking disaster?"

Matt gapes. He knows that voice. "Katherine?"

Katherine fucking Pierce steps towards him and grins. "One and the same. Let's talk about how big of an idiot you have to be to walk around unarmed, knowing what you do, while we walk back to that fleabag hotel you're staying in."

"It's not a fleabag…" protests Matt.

"Yes, it is," says Katherine dismissively. She helps him up and within seconds they're walking together. To the average passerby, it probably looks like she's letting him support her, but the death grip on his forearm says otherwise.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asks Matt. "I thought Elena gave you the cure."

Katherine shrugs. "She did. Then I found a vampire, tricked him into turning me, and got my life back." She gives Matt a stern look. "Surely you don't think I didn't have a backup plan. It's like you don't even know me."

"I don't know you. And I don't want to. Katherine, the only interaction we've had was when you compelled me to kill Tyler and then walked around telling Stefan how hot you thought I was." Matt shudders. That was a creepy time.

"Hmm. True. Well, anyway, I'm here because you're an idiot and Elijah didn't want to talk to Rebekah with me around."

Matt stops walking. "Wait, what?"

Katherine sighs. "Can we get back to the hotel first? I'll explain there but the rain is ruining my hair."

Since Matt can tell he wouldn't win the argument anyway, he goes along, but the minute they're back in his room he starts demanding answers. Katherine cuts him off about five minutes into his rant. "I really don't have time for this. I should be murdering my enemies and riding Elijah on every surface of this continent and instead I have to deal with puppy love bullshit, so let me make this simple."

Matt glares at her to no avail.

"You like Rebekah. Rebekah likes you. She's got some weird thing about not compelling you to behave, and you apparently can't get over yourself long enough to admit that you like her back." Katherine sounds utterly exasperated. "So I am here to tell you that you are an idiot and you need to swallow your pride and get her back."

"You weren't there. She hates me."

"Welcome to the beginning of a love story!"

"Are you insane?" asks Matt. It's a valid question.

Katherine shrugs again. "I might be. The point is, you don't really have anything to lose."

Matt takes a minute to think about that. She's right. Everything in Mystic Falls is a mess and he doesn't really want to go back there. He could try a fresh start somewhere else but again, it's just starting over. There's not a specific town or anything that's calling to him or anything. And maybe he can do things better this time. If Rebekah will give him a chance.

"So what do I do?" he asks.

"Elijah's message to me was that Rebekah was going to pray. He said if you knew where to find her, then you deserve a second chance, and if not, he won't really care if she scatters your limbs across all of Europe."

Matt cringes at that imagery.

Katherine pokes him. "Do you know what that means?"

Matt nods. "I need to go to Italy."

* * *

**And we are on our way to happy times! Matt & Rebekah still have a lot to talk about, but they're on a path to move forward now.**


	7. Chapter 7

Rebekah may be a thousand years old, but she can still count the number of times she's been truly happy on her hands. So when Elijah walks into her hotel room, the feeling that everything will be okay ends up being overwhelming, and she bursts into tears all over again.

Elijah's beside her in an instant. For all the fights they've had over the centuries, he's the best older brother anyone could ask for, knowing better than to pick fault at her or at Matt. Instead he holds her tight and just lets her cry for a while. This is why Rebekah called him and not Klaus.

"What's going on with you?" asks Elijah once she's calmed down. His tone sounds genuinely concerned, not critical, so Rebekah spills the entire story, including her own insecurities.

"I think you need to take some time for yourself," says Elijah when Rebekah's finished.

She gives him a puzzled look. "That's what you think will solve this?"

Elijah shakes his head. "Not completely. But you were stuck in a coffin for 90 years after having family & romance & a life. And then you were back and thrown into all the nastiness that is our history. You haven't had a chance to figure out what you truly want."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Get away. Go somewhere that feels peaceful to you, somewhere with good memories. Figure out what it is that you most desire, what you're willing to fight for. If it's Matt, then work on his playing field and fight fair but go after him. If you decide Matt's not really what you're looking for, move on. You're lost, little sister, and until you find yourself, you'll never be able to move forward."

Rebekah hugs Elijah. He's right. He's also not suggesting anything easy; she's never really sat down and thought about exactly what she wants without having to consider other people. Rebekah knows deep down this is actually one of the reasons she doesn't get along with Katherine or Caroline. It's not that she doesn't like them, but that she's jealous. Those two know exactly who they are and who they want to be and they don't change for other people. Rebekah wants to find a way to be that strong.

Elijah's encouragement helps her realize she could be. "Are you staying long?" she asks Elijah, shaking herself free from her thoughts.

"I have a red-eye flight to Budapest this evening," he replies.

Rebekah raises an eyebrow. "Budapest?"

"It was Katherine's turn to choose," says Elijah dismissively. He seems to anticipate her next question. "I didn't bring her here. That didn't seem fair to you."

Rebekah grins a little. Her big brother may love Katherine but at least he knows better than to try and make her play nice. She hugs him one more time and then goes to wipe the tears away and fix her makeup.

Elijah sends a few messages on his phone while she's in the vanity, but agrees to going to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants before he returns to the airport.

* * *

Rebekah's on an early train the next morning, headed straight for her favorite little church in Italy. She'd brought it up to Matt first because it would piss off Alexander. But the truth is that this spot is still peaceful for her. The tragedies that befell her and Alexander happened elsewhere. This place is for good memories. But more importantly, it's where she can think.

Which is exactly what she does for the next few days. She accidentally scares off a few tourists by pacing and talking to herself. Then she frightens others on purpose who won't leave her alone.

The afternoon on the third day is when Rebekah feels like she has her answers. She leans back against a tree in the courtyard and closes her eyes, relaxing in the sunshine and letting contentment wash over her. Even the sound of more tourists entering doesn't phase her, not until a set of footsteps stops in front of her. Rebekah opens her eyes to see Matt, backpack at his side, and a quietness in his gaze.

"Hi," he says hesitantly.

"Hi…" Rebekah is just as cautious. "Did Elijah tell you where I was?"

Matt shakes his head. "Not exactly." For a moment Rebekah thinks she's going to have to push more but then Matt continues. "Elijah sent Katherine to find me in London before my plane left. The only message he left was that you needed some time and that if I knew where to find you, he'd consider that reason enough to give me a second chance."

"How did you know where I'd be?"

"This is the only place you'd be."

Rebekah lets herself feel a little bit of hope. She motions for Matt to sit down. "Why did you even bother? I thought you hated me."

Matt looks more than a little broken at her words. "I thought I did. But I think I hate myself more. I don't know who I am that I could act like that."

"I did try to provoke you," admits Rebekah.

"That doesn't justify my behavior," says Matt, vehemence in his tone.

"No, I suppose not. But you're here now?"

Matt's hands clench and release several times before he answers. "I wanted to apologize. And ask for a second chance at this road trip."

"I forgive you," says Rebekah first. That was one of the things she promised herself. If someone asked for forgiveness, she would give it. It didn't mean letting down her guard, but it was time to let grudges die. This other part might not work out the way she hoped. "But I have to decline on the road trip. I never wanted a no strings attached situation, Matt. I wanted you." She takes a deep breath. Honesty. She can do this. "I still want you. This casual fling isn't for me though. Not with you and I don't think trying again would do any good. I'd just end up keeping too many of my emotions hidden and then lash out at you."

"That's fair," says Matt. "You still like me though?"

Rebekah nods. "I do. I still need to figure out what all makes up me, but I know I care about you."

They're both quiet for a good ten minutes, lost in their own thoughts.

Then Matt reaches his hand out towards her. "Hi. I'm Matt Donovan. I'm from a little town in Virginia, I like 70s rock and tea and football."

Rebekah laughs, pure and bright in a way she hasn't in years. "I'm Rebekah Mikaelson. I've lived all over the place and I like dancing and proper tea and I could use someone who can introduce me to good rock music."

"May I take you to dinner, Miss Mikaelson?" asks Matt, standing up and gallantly offering his hand.

Rebekah puts her hand in his, letting Matt pull her up beside him. She looks at him carefully, refuses to let go of him for a moment. There's a promise in his words, a chance for another try, and this time doing things the right way and without outside factors. Just the two of them. She knows she could fight him, make Matt chase her. But games don't matter anymore.

So she smiles back at him. "You may."

* * *

**And we have happiness again! Okay, so fyi, this is by no means the end of our little story. But it is a bit of a break. It'll probably be about three weeks before I post again. I have some family vacation plans coming up and the final draft of my book to finish up, so I'll be busy. But I wanted to leave this story in a good place over a break, rather than somewhere sad and angsty. I've got lots planned for the rest of their summer abroad.**


End file.
